


Counting Stars

by Fuck_The_Noiz



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:12:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7064758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuck_The_Noiz/pseuds/Fuck_The_Noiz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So, what are you in for?" he asked, moving his hand from his holster to his hip. The man in front of him was motionless until he lifted his head slightly, a mischievious smirk the only thing visible from under the brim of his hat. A cuffed hand then moved up, a slim finger pushing up from underneath it to meet his eyes, gold bearing into slate grey.</p>
<p>"Showed the mayor a magic trick. Didn't take too kindly to it." The tone in his voice was playful and carefree in a way. Chrollo then folded his arms, putting his weight on one leg as he raised an eyebrow.</p>
<p>"What was the trick?" He asked, suddenly curious. The man chuckled and straightened up enough so he could see him better, humming under his breath. </p>
<p>"I asked him to swallow a lead bullet for me and told him that another would appear in my pistol." He explained.</p>
<p>"Did it work?" The mans smirk widened, nodding slightly.</p>
<p>"Oh yeah. But then that one disappeared between his eyes." Chrollo couldn't help but smile, chuckling softly and shook his head.</p>
<p>"You and your magic tricks, Hisoka."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Why do we have to break him out?" Phinks moved over to his shorter boss with his arms folded, the spurs on his boots clinking as he walked. Chrollo glanced over his shoulder after adjusting the saddle on his blue roan horse, turning to face him slowly.

"Because he's my friend, Phinks. He's a moron but I won't leave him behind." He said before moving over to the campfire where everyone else had gathered, each finishing up the last bites of their scavenged meal. "Come on everyone, we're on a very tight schedule this morning." Chrollo called as he watched them all for a moment before turning back towards his horse and swinging up into the saddle. He clenched his jaw in annoyance as they all started moving at their own pace, clicking his tongue impatiently as he turned his horse, urging him into a quick gallop. He could hear the others shouting after him as he got further and further away; the sun began to peek over the mountains, the horse’s heavy breathing and the pounding of hooves the only thing he could hear now. 

 

He stood himself up in the stirrups as he surged forward faster, clenching the reins tighter in one hand and resting it on his left thigh. As the sun rose higher over the mountains, it started to get warmer, if only by a little. The horse huffed in exertion, the sun steaming in the sweat glistening on his dark coat. He couldn't help but smile softly, glancing down at his companion. With a gentle tug to the reins, they slowed down into a considerate trot.

"Sorry, Malik. You alright?" he asked as they came to a stop on a small ledge and gazed over bare desert, already a heat wave covering the majority of the land below. Malik huffed again and chewed on his bit as he breathed deeply, his ears perking as he looked ahead. Chrollo leaned forward to pat soothingly along his neck, glancing around for any sign of trouble. He watched the dark lines further out that made up the railroad tracks, waiting for the train silently as he sighed, resting his free hand on the horn of his saddle.

When he heard the whistle blow and the loud roaring engine, he looked to his left, seeing the large and quickly approaching train. He took a deep breath, glancing back over his shoulder to see if his gang had finally caught up to him. There was no sign of them, turning around to face forward and urged Malik to the nearest slope to get down, standing up again to make it easier on him as he stepped down carefully. 

 

As soon as he was off the slope, he shouted loudly and tightened his grip on the reins. Malik huffed before practically shooting forward, going at top speed within seconds. The speed caused Chrollo's eyes to water and his duster to glide behind him with his movements, his free hand going up to keep his hat on his head. He steered him closer to the train as they caught up to it, keeping alongside it so he could look inside. He met the eyes of a young boy, startling him and leaned back from the window. He urged Malik faster and passed the window as the boy turned to his mother, tugging on her sleeve. He glanced over everyone in the cart as he passed before looking to the darker cart with no windows and a locked door. He grit his teeth as he got closer, reaching his left arm out for the rail. As soon as his fingers brushed it, he threw himself off of Malik and gripped the bar tightly, hitting the door with a low groan and straightened up.

Malik kept up his speed, waiting for his riders orders, huffing and snorting. Chrollo turned to look at his horse, waving a hand and Malik started to slow down, eventually disappearing from his line of sight. He turned back to the door, looking it up and down as he adjusted his hat. 

 

He looked at the lock, kneeling on one knee so he was eye-level with it as he pushed his coat aside to reach into a leather pouch attached to his holster, pulling two thin metal prongs out. He carefully inserted both into the small slot, turning and tweaking them carefully until he heard a faint click. Keeping the one hand still, his other continued to move slowly until he heard a louder click and the lock fell open. 

 

Chrollo stood and put the tools back into his pouch, pulling the lock from the door and tossed it aside before pushing the door open. He stepped into the dark cart, the only light coming from the open door that he closed behind him, making the cart darken once again. He glanced around when his eyes stopped on a figure leaned against the furthest wall, moving a hand to his pistol out of habit. He stepped closer until he was standing above them, tilting his head slightly.

"So, what are you in for?" he asked, moving his hand from his holster to his hip. The man in front of him was motionless until he lifted his head slightly, a mischievous smirk the only thing visible from under the brim of his hat. A cuffed hand then moved up, a slim finger pushing up from underneath it to meet his eyes, gold bearing into slate grey.

"Showed the mayor a magic trick. Didn't take too kindly to it." The tone in his voice was playful and carefree in a way. Chrollo then folded his arms, putting his weight on one leg as he raised an eyebrow.

"What was the trick?" He asked, suddenly curious. The man chuckled and straightened up enough so he could see him better, humming under his breath.

"I asked him to swallow a lead bullet for me and told him that another would appear in my pistol." He explained.

"Did it work?" The man's smirk widened, nodding slightly.

"Oh yeah. But then that one disappeared between his eyes." Chrollo couldn't help but smile, chuckling softly and shook his head.

"You and your magic tricks, Hisoka." He said as he knelt down in front of him, reaching for his tools again. Hisoka hummed and held his hands up for him with the same smirk.

"What can I say? I love the attention." He admitted softly with a wink when Chrollo met his eyes, making him roll them and pull his hands closer. Hisoka watched as his hands worked on unlocking the cuffs, humming in contentment when they loosened around his wrists. Chrollo pulled them off and tucked his tools away, tossing the cuffs to the side and stood up.

"Alright, let’s get going." Chrollo said as he looked to the door then to a larger one opposite the two. He moved over to it, undoing the latch and slid it open. A gust of wind blew past him and kicked up some straw in the cart, moving his hand up quickly to hold his hat down. He leaned out and put his thumb and index finger into his mouth before blowing, a loud whistle echoing throughout the canyon they were in. 

 

Hisoka stood up and stretched, groaning under his breath as he practically loomed behind the raven haired male, readjusting his hat. Chrollo smiled slightly as he saw Malik gallop between the canyon wall and the train to get up to his rider before turning to Hisoka. "Sorry I couldn't bring your horse. I had to get here in time." He said as he stood aside. Hisoka only smiled and waved a hand, stepping closer to him.

"I never minded riding double with you, boss." He said, saying the last bit almost mockingly. Chrollo frowned and opened his mouth to retort when he heard the door slam open behind him. He turned quickly to see a shorter blonde boy, pointing a shotgun right at them both. Panic moved him, shoving Hisoka out of the train and onto Malik's back. Hisoka's breath hitched as he was pushed out, maneuvering himself the best he could so he would land in the saddle, grabbing the reins. Malik huffed and whinnied when Hisoka landed on him, throwing his head back in discontent as he continued to gallop alongside the train. 

 

Chrollo moved to jump out when there was gunfire, the shot hitting his right arm and the blast causing some debris to hit his face. He groaned in pain, falling to the floor and holding his arm with his good hand. His eyes met with Hisoka's as he laid there, propping himself up the best he could and grit his teeth tightly through the pain that shot up through his arm.

"Ride out!" he shouted at him before looking up at the boy as he moved to the open door. Hisoka watched as the barrel came into view then looked down at Chrollo who continued to shout at him to leave, looking ahead as the canyon ended. As soon as he was able, he turned Malik quickly so they weren't trapped between the train and the canyon anymore, urging him away from the train quickly and cursing under his breath.

"Dammit!" the boy cursed as he watched his prisoner ride off, glaring down at the man he previously shot, his gun pointed to his head. His glare softened slightly before he scoffed and smirked lightly. "Who would've thought I'd catch you, releasing one of your gang members." He spat, moving closer to press the barrel to the side of his head. 

 

Chrollo groaned softly from the heat of it pressed firmly to his skin, feeling a burn begin to form there. His hand shakily moved for his pistol, wincing under his breath. The boy noticed and turned the shotgun to hit him hard in the face with the butt of it, pulling the pistol from the holster and pointed the barrel at his head again. Chrollo gasped, pain blossoming  all around his face as he coughed and turned his head away. He could feel warm liquid drip from his mouth and nose, the taste of iron heavy on his tongue. He turned his head towards the boy again, glowering dangerously up at him. "I'd say I landed big cash with you."


	2. Chapter 2

Leorio paced anxiously in his office, grumbling under his breath and looked out the window for any sign of his deputy. When there was no sign of the buckskin horse he cursed and turned to grab his things. Damn it! This job was simple and yet he was taking too long! He ground his teeth and put his hat on, walking out the door when he saw a horse and their rider, dragging someone behind them. Leorio gasped and moved down the steps from the jail house quickly, approaching him as he felt his face heat up from anger.

"I gave you a simple job, Kurapika! You're three hours late! You're lucky I didn't go out to find you myself, otherwise I'd-!" he trailed off when he saw the person he was pulling along, their hat covering their face but was easy to tell who it was by the coat and earrings that reflected in the sun. That wasn't Hisoka… "…. Isn't that Lucilfer?" he asked as he pointed at the man that stumbled behind, almost running into the horse when Kurapika stopped. He glared back at the half-baked bandit, jumping off his horse and gripped the front of his leather coat, making him slump forward slightly and expose his still fairly white teeth in a smirk from under his hat.

"Well.. Aren't you rude." Chrollo muttered, looking down at Kurapika. He suddenly pulled Chrollo down closer to his level and punched him hard across the cheek, knocking him down with a groan. Leorio surged forward, stepping between Kurapika and Chrollo.

"Hey! That’s enough!" 

 

Chrollo wheezed out a laugh, looking up at the two as he propped himself delicately with his bad arm. Leorio looked down at him, his eyes going wide when he saw the blood soaking his shirt and the gaping wound in his shoulder, kneeling down in front of him and pulled his coat aside to expose it carefully. 

 

Chrollo winced under his breath, squeezing his eyes tightly shut and bit his lip, turning his head away as the leather peeled from the wet shirt and skin. Leorio looked at the wound, wincing despite himself as he looked at the damage; the flesh was raw and still had shrapnel in it, most of it on the right side of his face. He touched around it carefully, trying to see how bad it really was before giving Kurapika a stern look. "This better not have been you." 

 

Kurapika clicked his tongue and folded his arms. "So what if it was? He deserved it." he countered. Leorio shook his head, taking hold on Chrollo's good arm and helped him up carefully.

"That's not your decision. He needs a trial before anything. You know that better than I do," he said as he led Chrollo past the fuming blond, helping him stay up with a hand to his undamaged shoulder. Kurapika followed them into the jail house, glaring daggers to Chrollo's back. 

 

"Did you even give him water?" he asked as he sat him down against the wall before he slumped to the side, straightening him back up carefully. Kurapika was silent behind him, making Leorio groan in annoyance and look back at him. "You’re done here, go cool off."

"No I'm not, that's Lucilfer you have there."

"And what, pray tell, is he going to do to me with heat exhaustion?" he shot behind him. "The worst he could do in this state is spit in my face. Probably has cotton mouth though." He muttered the last part, turning back to Chrollo to unlock his handcuffs. "Get out before I throw you out." he said again when he didn't hear movement.

"Leorio!"

"That’s Sheriff to you, Deputy Kurapika." he said sternly as he looked back at him again, giving him a disapproving look. Kurapika opened his mouth to argue further, stopping when Leorio continued to give him the same look. He clenched his fists tightly and huffed angrily before turning and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Hmph… you're like a married couple…" Chrollo muttered, chuckling breathlessly. Leorio sighed and stood up, taking his hat off and set it on the coat hanger by the door.

"Yeah yeah. Take off your coat and shirt, let me see the damage." He said as he moved to grab a stool and canteen, coming back with both. Chrollo sluggishly pushed his coat off, wincing under his breath when he pushed the sleeve off his injured arm. He took a deep breath before doing the same for the shirt underneath, groaning under his breath before letting his head slump back against the wall when he finally pulled his arm out of the confining clothing. 

 

Leorio held the canteen out to him as he sat down, moving in closer. Chrollo took off his hat then reached for the canteen, taking long gulps as he tipped it back and sighed through his nose. Most of the water didn't make it into his mouth but all over his hot face instead, making him sigh in content. Leorio held his arm delicately as he looked at the wound, standing again to go to his desk and pull out his first aid kit and a bottle of whiskey. 

 

"What did you do exactly to piss him off?" he asked as he sat back down in front of him, tilting his head as he looked at his broken nose, wincing physically as he reached out to take his face delicately to turn his face to each side. Chrollo winced under his breath and sniffed, shrugging lightly.

"I wasn't really doing anything." He answered as he looked at the wall before meeting his eyes when he turned his face to look straight on at his nose. Leorio raised an eyebrow as he glanced at him then looked at his nose again, reaching down for the bottle and held it out to him.

"Uh huh. Here, take a swig of that to help dull the pain." he instructed as Chrollo took the bottle, putting it to his lips and tipped the bottle back to take a few gulps of it. "I said a swig, Lucilfer not the whole bottle." he grumbled as he pulled the bottle away and set it at his feet.

"Alcohol doesn't affect me so quick if I just take a small swig." He explained with a soft chuckle, setting the canteen next to him on the bench. Leorio rolled his eyes and leaned in, holding his face as he looked at his nose again, pressing them carefully around his nose. Chrollo winced each time, tensing up and moved to pull away but Leorio's hold was firm and kept him close.

"Alright hold your breath. This is going to hurt." He muttered, moving his thumbs to the lower half of his nose. Chrollo tensed again, clenching the bench underneath him and closed his eyes tightly. Leorio took a deep breath before pulling down quickly on his nose to realign it, an audible crack was heard and Chrollo's breath hitched with a low groan. "There we go," he mused as he turned his face to each side to look at it then patted his cheek. Chrollo flinched back and winced softly, opening his eyes and blinking a few times as he sniffed.

"Thanks doc," he said with a slight smile, touching his nose carefully. It was still fairly swollen and very painful but it didn't hurt as much as it did before. Leorio hummed and reached down to pick up the first aid kit, opening it up and pulled out surgical tweezers before moving in closer. He held his arm with one hand as the other carefully started picking out the small metal shards from the raw and bloody wound, his hand steady and delicate. Chrollo watched in curiosity, blinking a few times before reaching for the canteen for more water when he felt his throat start to dry up.

"Do you know why you’re being hunted down?" Leorio's tone was serious, his eyes still focused over his lenses to watch what he was doing. Chrollo pulled the canteen from his lips and cleared his throat before answering, "Is it because I take things from people who don't deserve their good fortune?"

"That’s not your decision Luclifer. You still killed people after robbing them of everything they had," Leorio defended quickly, glancing up at him to meet his eyes. Chrollo only looked at him with indifference before looking away with a shrug.

"That’s your opinion. Half of those people I stole from cheated their way up to get money." He said as he looked back at him. "They killed people as well, just to get what they wanted. Is that fair?"

"If that was the problem they could have gone to court."

"They would just as easily get out with all that coin they got. It wouldn't be fair. So what I did was justice, giving what they stole to others." He gave him a warm smile before leaning back against the wall again. Leorio could only look at him in horror and anger, his hand tightening on the tweezers before his hand holding his arm gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him back to look at him. Chrollo only continued to smile and raised an eyebrow as he looked at him with feigned innocence. "Yes doc?"

"You still didn't have a right to be killing and torturing those people. They had families and didn't deserve any of it," he spat, gripping his shirt tighter. Chrollo only smiled wider, making him look dangerous and sadistic as he chuckled.

"Oh don't worry. We made sure to expose them to their loved ones before actually killing them. They left this world hated. I think that’s fair."


	3. Chapter 3

Hisoka rode long and hard on Malik, feeling the sun bear down on his back and shoulders through his coat. He finally found the group he was looking for, riding up to them and making Malik huff when he pulled him to a stop in front of them. Machi was the first to pull her gun out and point it at him as the others followed and moved to surround him.

"What a warm welcome you guys give," Hisoka chuckled and held his hands up slightly to show he had nothing on him.

"Where's the boss," Phinks demanded, cocking his gun.

"Got caught. He told me to come find you," he answered with a small smile. The others looked at one another with frowns before looking back to Hisoka who only continued to smile. "We should hurry. There's a coach coming tomorrow to take him away. If we're lucky, he might get a hearing before being hanged," he said, making everyone tense up and grip their guns tighter.

"Come on guys we're wasting time here!" Uvo suddenly called, making them all flinch and look back at him. Feitan was the first to holster his gun and turned his horse away, Phinks reluctantly following suit. Machi scowled at Hisoka before looking back at Shizuku, sighing slowly.

"Did we bring his horse?"

  * •



Leorio patched Chrollo up then put him in a holding cell, sparing only a glance to make sure he was stable enough to be left alone before heading off himself, entrusting to one of the other deputies the responsibility of staying behind to watch him. He pointedly didn't ask Kurapika to do it, knowing that he'd stress himself out just by looking at this man. 

 

Chrollo lounged on the musty cot, leaning his head against the wall as he looked outside the cell window, watching the sun set over the horizon through the cracks in the bars. Despite his situation, he felt at ease watching the sun disappear, releasing the tension in his body with a sigh. It was times like these that he really strived to keep positive. He always found time to enjoy the smaller things in life, stargazing and sometimes staying up all night until the sun rose if only to cement the sights in his memory. 

 

The cold kiss of the metal bar chilled his forehead but he pressed closer anyway.That was one thing he and Hisoka had done growing up together, the thought springing unbidden to his mind. They had done it more times than he could count, like greedy children too hungry for adventure to waste the night on rest. They would both be exhausted the next day and would have to pitch a tent in shade to get some sleep, but they never regretted it. 

 

He sighed again. They didn't have much time for that now since Hisoka left so much, gone for days on end, weeks even sometimes.    
  
He frowned slightly and glanced over to the deputy who sat reclined in their chair, legs propped up on the desk and hands folded together in their lap as they dozed lightly. What splendid security. Chrollo shifted to the side, taking the lull to reach for his pouch before sighing under his breath when he felt nothing there. Of course, he thought, recalling how Leorio had taken his holster before leaving. 

 

As young as he looked to be, there was no hiding the fact that Leorio had earned his position as sheriff. He admired the kid in a way, for his competence if nothing else. Smiling slightly, Chrollo leaned against the wall again, looking to the nostalgic horizon.  It didn’t look like he’d be sneaking his way out of this cage. 

 

Instead, he lost himself in the scenery outside the walls of the prison, his thoughts drifting along like the tumbleweeds littering the dusty earth. Would he get to watch another sunrise with Hisoka? It had been awhile since they had together. His eyes tracked the shadows as they dragged across the ground, the sun creeping higher and higher in the sky. 

 

A burst of movement caught his eye, far faster than he could expect on this side of the town. Straightening up, he narrowed his eyes. A few shadows sneaked behind a building across from his cell. He looked to the deputy, making sure they were asleep, before looking back outside to watch for the figures. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Hisoka, Feitan, and Phinks inch closer. A small smile slowly made its way across his lips.    
  
When they had come close enough to spot him, he held a finger to his lips and pointed back to the deputy in the chair. The three nodded silently, communicating to each other the new course of action. Feitan narrowed his eyes over his black bandana and moved away from the two to go around to the door, pulling out a small knife from his belt. With bated breath Chrollo turned to watch as he came in.

 

Feitan approached the sleeping deputy with hardly a whisper and covered their mouth before pressing the knife to the bared throat. There was a muffled cry as he awoke with a start but Feitan pulled the knife just as quickly across the exposed neck, blood gushing from the wound. Impassively he waited for the deputy to bleed out, the struggling dying in time to the spurts of gore. Feitan let him go and he slumped out of the chair, falling to the wooden floor, limp and drained. He reached for the keys and moved over to the cell door after wiping his knife clean and re-sheathing it. Business as usual.   
  
"Ok?" he asked through his bandana as he started unlocking the cell door, glancing up to meet Chrollo’s eyes. Chrollo rose from the cot and nodded with a small smile.   
  
"I could be better but all in all, I’m fine." Chrollo answered as he pulled his coat on carefully then set his hat on his head, walking out as soon as Feitan opened the door. Even though it was only a few feet of difference, somehow he already felt warmer. He moved over to the desk and got his belt and gun, checking to see if it still had its bullets before holstering it and adjusting everything on his waist. It was a comfortable weight. 

 

"Where's everyone else?" he asked as he was lead out from the jail hut, Feitan’s cautiousness more than enough to tell him that the hard part was yet to come.   
  
"Waiting edge of town," Feitan answered, peering around the corner for a split second before ducking back against the wall. Chrollo could sense that something was wrong when he saw Phinks and Hisoka quickly hide behind a hen house a little ways off.

 

Before he could ask, two men came around the corner, chatting and laughing on what looked to be their nightly walk. Chrollo froze when Feitan pulled his own pistol out and he quickly followed suit, pressing himself against the wall of the hut with his gun hidden behind his leg. Chrollo held his breath as he listened to the clinking of their spurs get closer, his heart beating so loud that he barely heard movement inside the hut. 

 

His eyes widened slightly he glanced down at Feitan only to find his panic reflected in dark eyes. They listened in horror as a loud gasp sounded, the frantic scrambling loud enough to signal the other deputy’s flight out of the hut. His loud, pounding footsteps echoed and Chrollo immediately held his gun up when the man turned the corner, running right into the barrel of his pistol. Scared blue eyes crossed as he watched Chrollo’s thumb pull the cock back. The spilled food on his shirt was telling enough. He must have come to relieve his friend with dinner. Chrollo almost pitied him for his rotten luck.   
  
"H-hah…. W-wait…. Y-you don't want to do this…." he whispered as if being quiet would change Chrollo’s mind. Chrollo glanced at Feitan then to Phinks and Hisoka on the other side. If he pulled the trigger, the two walkers would hear and come rushing over. He bit his lip and weighed the risk. If he didn't do something, the guy would call for help. Shit. He turned back to look at the man, narrowing his eyes as his finger tightened on the trigger.   
  
"Hey!" The deputy shouted and just like that, Chrollo found the decision made for him.

 

There was a loud shout before there was gunfire and Chrollo looked back to see the two men had rounded the corner. Thankfully Phinks was quick enough to knock a pistol out of one of their hands and started wrestling him. The other man pulled his own gun out and Feitan was already on top of him to try and break the wrist that held the pistol. 

 

A rough hand grabbed his forearm and just like that Chrollo was torn from his concerned thoughts and brought back to his own situation. The deputy yanked hard at his hand and the pistol fell to the ground, Chrollo following quickly as the surprisingly strong man knocked him to his knees. He wheezed and coughed as he was thrown to the ground, fighting the stranglehold around his neck. 

 

Just as he felt the black cloud of asphyxiation threaten to pull him under, the man was torn from his body. Chrollo fell to the dust and choked on the air greedily, glancing up through watering eyes to see Hisoka looming over the deputy, his knuckles already bloody and hungry for more. 

 

The gunshot had unsurprisingly drawn an audience for their little prison break. All around him he could hear the townspeople poking their heads out of their homes, a few men even running out to investigate. Hisoka shot the deputy in the arm as he stomped on the man’s ruined face. The brutality on his handsome face was at odds with the gentleness he employed in helping Chrollo up and out of the dirt..    
  
"Let's get out of here!" Chrollo shouted as he stumbled to his feet and started running, Phinks, Feitan and Hisoka close behind. The sound of renewed gunfire came half a second before wood and dirt splintered at their toes. Chrollo ducked behind a woodpile for cover, praying that the others were quick enough to follow suit. Feitan and Phinks were in too much of a hurry to recover their own guns and Hisoka was the only one with his. "Where is everyone?!" He asked as he looked to Phinks.   
  
"They should be here by now!" He shouted over the cacophony. The bullets kept coming and wood pelted them all like hail. Somehow through it all they caught the sound of a far off gunshot sound, echoing from their flanks. For a moment Chrollo’s heart stopped in his chest, the thought of the shooters having them cornered like a shot of ice straight to his veins. Hisoka peered around the corner and grinned.   
  
"That was the others. They have us covered,” he reported, and it was enough in itself to thaw the cold to let the adrenaline take over. Chrollo nodded, sharp and clipped, and moved out before them to lead them out from their refuge. There was only a single volley of gunfire in their direction before it stopped as the shooter was gunned down, no doubt by Uvo if the raucous, booming laughter was anything to go off of. Under the cover fire they moved behind the bar, Machi and Shizuku waiting with their horses.   
  
"You need to get out of here boss!" Machi said as she gave the reins to him.   
  
"But I can't just lea-"   
  
"We can take care of things here! We'll meet up later!" Shalnark shouted from the top of the building, reloading his rifle casually before shooting another deputy through the head.    
  


A bullet slammed into the wood next to his head and Chrollo grit his teeth. “I don’t feel good about this,” he grated even as he let Machi hold his stirrup in place so he could swing into the saddle. 

 

She didn’t even give him a reply, instead just slapped his horse’s flank to send it off in a gallop. His horse snorted and let out a startled whinnie before taking off quickly into the open desert, Hisoka not too far behind on his own horse. Chrollo gripped the reins tightly and stood himself in the stirrups so he wasn’t jostling so much with his injured arm. They didn’t make it far when there was one last loud gunshot and a loud piercing scream cutting through the air. He turned in his saddle to look back, his world feeling as if it was slowing down as he saw Uvo fall from the roof and Shalnark running for him where he fell. He felt his arms move on their own, pulling back on the reins to make his horse stop and turning him as his eyes went wide.

 

“Chrollo we need to go!” Hisoka called, cutting in front of him before he could urge his horse forward to go back.

 

“They need my help!” he retorted back, turning his horse to try going around him. Hisoka barely caught hold of the reins as he urged his own horse forward, Chrollo’s horse having no choice but to follow. Chrollo about fell off as they started galloping, his mouth falling open and a loud pained scream echoing as he was forced to watch his troupe getting further and further away. “Hisoka go back! Hisoka please!” he shouted as he turned to face him, leaning forward to try and reach for his reins. Hisoka held them close to his leg barely out of Chrollo’s reach, holding them firmly and urged the horses faster away from the massacre.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This was my Big Bang fic for Hunter x Hunter! Please check out the corresponding artwork that the two lovely artists did at hxhbb.tumblr.com! gabbytheclaybro and spoopyhedgehiggle! thank you so much!! <3


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